Saturday, August 14, 2010

Pack up your ... whatever!

I got to thinking that all quilters need a bag to carry projects and supplies, so today I made some. They are unbleached muslin over lightweight cardstock front, back and bottom and embelished with 1/8" ribbon and tiny cuts of fabric. Poke the picture to see them better. (When I poked it to check, I noticed some tiny threads that need to be clipped. I think next time I make these I'll turn a tiny hem in the top edge.) While assembling, I found it useful to have a block made from two pieces of 1/4" foamcore board stuck inside to form the shape. I cut the rectangles of cardstock, scored the two bottom folds, and glued them to the muslin and trimmed around the edges. This photo shows the cardstock ready to bend around the block. The muslin side is inside. The four in back have had the muslin glued on the outside. I cut it a quarter inch longer than the height of the side so there would be something to fold under to make a nice bottom.

Here's the block being pulled out of the wrapped bag. The narrow sides do not have cardstock; they can fold naturally.

The next photo shows today's quilt in progress. I found that by cutting the squares to near finished size and gluing them on a backing, I could scrunch them up a bit, so they look as if there is batting. These blocks were cut from a piece of fabric printed with them, although I rearranged them better to suit a mini pattern.

Here is the finished quilt. It turned out to be 6" x 8" rather than the 5" x 7" I'd planned because I added a border (folded bias tape) and then added some lace on top of that for extra texture. It's a rather strong design and will likely go on the wall in the display room as it is too big for the display frames. This quilt is all glue. Not a stitch on it.